Mike's Blog

Agreeing with Don Imus?

It seems Don Imus doesn't have problem supporting the troops and wonders why all the other conservative blogs hate the troops and notes that he's getting quite a few links from grou

Why Don’t Conservatives Support The Troops?

February 24th, 2007 · 30 Comments

Senator Ted Stevens (R) Alaska told us in a famous speech on the floor of the Senate that the Internet was a series of tubes. Actually the Internet runs on links. That’s how we exchange information and find things.

During the past week I’ve gotten several links from some of the biggest liberal blogs/websites on the internet, Crooks & Liars, Think Progress, and Daily Kos. These are not sites that would normally link to this blog. As anyone who reads my blog knows I routinely slam liberal politicians and media.

But these guys rose above politics to try and bring awareness to the problems at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Some might say they’re doing it as an opportunity to slam the Bush Administration. I don’t think that’s it. I think it’s a genuine concern for active duty soldiers and veterans.

I wondered why I hadn’t received a single link from a conservative blog or website. I thought well they just didn’t like any of my posts. So I went and checked the right wing blogs I normally read when I get time, Redstate, Pajama Media, Hot Air, and Michelle Malkin. Except for Ms. Malkin, not one of these sites even mentioned the Washington Post Story or anything about Walter Reed that I could find. When Malkin talks about it. She was not able to rise above politics and used it as an opportunity to slam the liberal media and democrats. She even had the balls to say she wrote about this issue 8 years ago.

I don’t know why conservatives don’t support the troops. You would think an issue as important as this would cause people to forget about politics for a few minutes. We can disagree about the war, how we got there, and how we’re going to leave. But everyone should be doing everything they possibly can to REALLY support these wounded American troops. Supporting the war, the President, and republicans or democrats, has nothing to do with supporting the troops.

I can assure you this story is only going to get bigger. Hopefully the conservatives can push aside politics and really support the troops. (link)

Those damed tax and spend Democrats

They've only been in charge of Congress for a short time and look what happens!  If anyone doubts how BushCo have financed the Iraq war and occupation they need to brush up on their Chinese.

Stocks have worst day since 9/11 attacks                

By MADLEN READ, AP Business Writer Wed Feb 28,  1:31 AM ET

NEW YORK - Stocks had their worst day of trading since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks Tuesday, hurtling the Dow Jones industrials down more than 400 points on a worldwide tide of concern that the U.S. and Chinese economies are stumbling and that share prices have become overinflated ... (link)

Martin Luther and Hitler

Christians are often quick to mention Darwin, evolution and Hitler in the same sentence. Ed Brayton brings it a bit closer to the real history of antisemitism as espoused by one of The Xtian's own.

Berkowitz on Kennedy, Darwin and Hitler

Category:
Posted on: February 27, 2007  9:36 AM, by Ed Brayton

Bill Berkowitz has an excellent review of the absurd documentary being distributed by the D. James Kennedy's Coral Ridge Ministries and the Worldnutdaily, Darwin's Deadly Legacy. Drawing on such noted historians as Ann Coulter, the thesis of this documentary is simple:

In a statement, Kennedy said: "To put it simply, no Darwin, no Hitler. Hitler tried to speed up evolution, to help it along, and millions suffered and died in unspeakable ways because of it."

As I documented here, one can just as easily trace Hitler's final solution to the long history of Christian anti-semitism, particularly from Martin Luther, Germany's own favorite son. Luther famously authored a little book called On the Jews and Their Lies, which contained such loving statements as this:

What then shall we Christians do with this damned, rejected race of Jews? Since they live among us and we know about their lying and blasphemy and cursing, we can not tolerate them if we do not wish to share in their lies, curses, and blasphemy. In this way we cannot quench the inextinguishable fire of divine rage nor convert the Jews. We must prayerfully and reverentially practice a merciful severity. Perhaps we may save a few from the fire and flames [of hell]. We must not seek vengeance. They are surely being punished a thousand times more than we might wish them. Let me give you my honest advice.

First, their synagogues should be set on fire, and whatever does not burn up should be covered or spread over with dirt so that no one may ever be able to see a cinder or stone of it. And this ought to be done for the honor of God and of Christianity in order that God may see that we are Christians, and that we have not wittingly tolerated or approved of such public lying, cursing, and blaspheming of His Son and His Christians.... (link Dispatches from the Culture Wars)

Lada - two exciting designs!

I can just hear someone with a Borat like accent hyping the Lada - "two exciting new models to choose, with radio and without radio".

                  Only 2 super-efficient cars available in US compared to 113 in Europe
by Chris in Paris                   ·  2/28/2007 04:08:00 AM ET
  Discuss this post here: Comments (9) ·  digg it · reddit · FARK ·  · Link

Doggone socialists have all of the choices while the free market US economy has only two options. Sounds a lot like the old Soviet days when the Lada offered either with or without a radio. So where are all of the so-called free market Republicans? Oh that's right, they've been on the "let industry dictate policy" bandwagon and made sure they were lending a helping hand with the Soviet-ization of Big Auto, ridding them of any need to offer fuel efficiency. Who could ever forget Reagan starting the removal of fuel efficiency standards and then the Gingrich Congress implementing the final blow to any hope of minimum standards? Once again, witness Republican economics at work and try hard to figure out how it differs with Soviet style economics.

The research from the Civil Society Institute, a not-for-profit think tank that focuses on energy and ecological issues, shows a growing “fuel-efficient car gap.”

CSI found that the number of vehicle models sold in the United States that achieve combined gas mileage of at least 40 miles per gallon actually has dropped from five in 2005 to just two in 2007 — the Honda Civic hybrid and the Toyota Prius hybrid.

Overseas, primarily in Europe, there are 113 vehicles for sale that get a combined 40 mpg, up from 86 in 2005. Combined gas mileage is the average of a vehicle’s city and highway mpg number.

Adding insult to injury is the fact that nearly two-thirds of the 113 highly fuel-efficient models that are unavailable to American consumers are either made by U.S.-based automobile manufacturers or by foreign manufacturers with substantial U.S. sales operations, such as Nissan and Toyota. ...(link AMERICAblog)

                                                                           

yes, no child "Left Behind"

In addition to brining new meaning to the phrase "no child "Left Behind"'  it was also pointed out that the parents and community would not be so tolerant if the desks had been blessed with chicken blood or the head of a strangled cat. 

Practicing religion is like mainlining stupid

Category: Religion • Stupidity
Posted on: February 23, 2007  5:30 PM, by PZ Myers

Sometimes it's the little things that are the most revealing, that expose the bankruptcy of an idea. For instance, this story from a Florida school where the principal and teachers cast a magic spell.

It had been a hard Friday at Brooksville Elementary School, with lots of misbehavior that didn't bode well for the start of state testing the following week.

So the principal and a few staff members appealed to a higher power.

They prayed and blessed their students' desks with prayer oil.

While the Christian prayers and anointing took place after school hours on Friday, Feb. 2, the oil was still on desks the following Monday when teachers opened their classrooms.

I know that sometimes the staff at schools have to compromise to deal with public pressure, and that sometimes we can disagree on policy issues. I have high expectations of teachers and administrators, though, and I trust them to be educated, intelligent, and rational, at least in matters of running the school and educating kids.

These people are superstitious lunatics.

Look, it's very simple: if you believe that daubing objects with holy bacon drippings and chanting magic words will imbue them with special powers, if you think your imaginary Lord of the Universe will whisper answers to a test in a kid's ears if his chair has a spot of grease on it, but won't if it doesn't, if your job is to teach children and you think one way to give them an understanding of algebra is to beg a ghost to do it for you, you are a disgrace, a confused and deluded kook, and you are screwing up. Get help. Your delusions are affecting your performance and your life... (link Pharyngula)

I thought we were way past even "last throes" in Afghanistan

Afghan Taliban say rearmed, ready for war

23 Feb 2007 12:14:28 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Saeed Ali Achakzai
SPIN BOLDAK, Afghanistan, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Rearmed with new guns the Taliban on Friday vowed this would be the deadliest year for foreign soldiers in Afghanistan since the Islamists were toppled in 2001. "This year will prove to be the bloodiest for the foreign troops. It is not just a threat, we will prove it," senior commander Mullah Dadullah told Reuters by satellite phone. ... (link)

The PresidentCheney reusing old Nixon speeches

This sounds a bit familiar

U.S. wants to leave Iraq "with honor," Cheney says                

By Caren Bohan 20 minutes ago

TOKYO (Reuters) - Vice President

Dick Cheney said on Wednesday the United States wants to finish its mission in

Iraq and "return with honor," despite the war's growing unpopularity at home and doubts among U.S. allies.

John McCain - the Christian Taliban Candidate

McCain doesn't just suck up to the religious right wing - he is the religious right wing. I've read a lot lately about McCain sucking up to hate mongers and liars such as Hagee and Falwell with goals of global thermonuclear war to hasten the rapture but it seems like he's not just sucking up to them, he is one of them.

McCain: Roe v. Wade should be overturned                

By JIM DAVENPORT, Associated Press Writer Sun Feb 18,  9:36 PM ET

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Republican presidential candidate John McCain (news, bio, voting record), looking to improve his standing with the party's conservative voters, said Sunday the court decision that legalized abortion should be overturned.

"I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned," the Arizona senator told about 800 people in South Carolina, one of the early voting states. ... (link)

Bush moves to the top of the list

Mea culpa to Bush on Presidents Day

Plain Talk by Al Neuharth, USA TODAY founder

Our great country has had 43 presidents. Many very good. A few pretty bad. On Presidents Day next Monday, it's appropriate to commemorate them all.

I remember every president since Herbert Hoover, when I was a grade school kid. He was one of the worst. I've personally met every president since Dwight Eisenhower. He was one of the best.

A year ago I criticized Hillary Clinton for saying "this (Bush) administration will go down in history as one of the worst."

"She's wrong," I wrote. Then I rated these five presidents, in this order, as the worst: Andrew Jackson, James Buchanan, Ulysses Grant, Hoover and Richard Nixon. "It's very unlikely Bush can crack that list," I added.

I was wrong. This is my mea culpa. Not only has Bush cracked that list, but he is planted firmly at the top. ... (link USA Today)

Hey, it could have been Leprechauns, who knows

Rep. Rohrabacher: Global Warming May Have Been Caused By ‘Dinosaur Flatulence’

This week, Congress held its first hearing on the landmark IPCC report on climate change. That report concluded that global warming is “unequivocal” and human activity is the main driver, “very likely” causing most of the rise in temperatures since 1950.

During the hearing, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) — one of the 87 percent of congressional Republicans who do not believe in man-made global warming — questioned the authors of the report about a period of dramatic climate change that occured 55 million years ago. “We don’t know what those other cycles were caused by in the past. Could be dinosaur flatulence, you know, or who knows?’ ...(link Think Progress)